Advertising device



E @20, 9330 E. DQBROWSKY ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed Feb. 18, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l J fg-@msx VN? Abg gi if ENT WITNESSES ATTORN EYS E. @QBRGWSKY ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed FebA 1s, 19:52 2 sheets-sheet ATTOR N EY June 20, 1933.

WlTN ESSES g@ Patented June 20, 1933 UNITED STATES PTENT EMMANUEL DOBROWSKY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO IVIOTOR CAB ADVERTISING DEVICE C0., ING., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION F NEW YORK ADVERTISING DEVICE Application filed February 18, 1932. Serial No. 593,908.

This invention relates generally to advertising devices of that type wherein a series of leaves bearing advertising matter is successively displayed, said device being particularly designed for store window displays, either independently or in conjunction with another device, such as a cloclr or the like.

The invention refers more particularly to an advertising device of the type specified, in'which a driven rotary hub carries a plurality of leaves bearing advertising matter on the front and rear faces thereof, Ywhich. leaves are swingably connected at circumferentially spaced points adjacent the hub periphery, together with means with which the free edges of the leaves successively engage to momentarily display simultaneously the card on the front face of one leaf and .20 the card on the rear face of an adjacent leaf.

@ne of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved lea-f and hub construction, by virtue of which the leaves may be readily mounted on the drum or removed therefrom for facilitating the changing of As a further object, the invention comprehends an improved connection between. the

driving means and the hub which permits of manual turning of the hub and leaves while removing the same and changing the advertisement bearing cards.

The invention furthermore embodies in a device of the character set forth, means for precluding retrograde turning movement of the drum and leaves by virtue of the preponderance of the weight of the leaves on one side of the hub axis or otherwise.

Other objects of the invention reside in the comparative simplicity of construction and mode of use of the device, the economy with which it may be produced, assembled and operated and the general efliciency and attractiveness of the same as an advertising medium.

With the above recited and other objects in view, reference is had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which there are exhibited several embodiments of the invention, while the claims define the actual scope of the same.

'In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of an advertising device constructed in accordance with the invention and disclosing the same as associated with a clock.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line indicatedY at 2 2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, taken approximately on the line indicated at 3 3 in Figure 1.

Figure A is a front face view of one of the leaves.

Figure 5 is a sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 4. y

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on the line indicated at 6-6 in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary face view illustrating a modified form of the driving connection between the hub and the driving means.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, A designates a housing for the advertising device, which may be located in proximity to and form part of a clock housing B or other device. The front of the casing A is provided with a window 10 and a displaceable cover 11 having a corresponding window opening` 12 over which a transparent curved panel or crystal 13 is arranged. VThe advertising display device which constitutes the present invention consists of a hub designated generally by the reference character 14 and a plurality of leaves designated generally by the reference character 15 which are mounted to turn with the drum and swing with reference thereto during the turning movement, so

that advertising matter borne on the front face of one leaf is simultaneously displayed with the advertising matter borne on the rear face of the adjacent preceeding leaf for a predetermined period of time through the window of the casing.

In the present instance, the hub 14 includes a shaft 16 having axially spaced disk like flanges 17 and 18, the said shaft being supported and journaled for rotation in stationaryT supports 19 and 20 located within the housing A. The disks 17 and 18 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the length of the leaves 15, and the flange 17 is formed with an annular concentric series of bearing apertures 21 which open through the inner and outer faces thereof, while the flange 18 is formed with a corresponding annular concentric series of sockets 22 permanently closed at the outer ends by a fixed plate 23 applied to the outer face of the flange 18. The bearing apertures 21 of the flange 17 are normally closed at the outer ends by a yieldable closure member or plate 24 which is urged by a spring 25 against the outer face of the flange 17 and which tensions the member or plate 24 against movement away from the flange 17.

The leaves 15 in the present instance are fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material of a length slightly less than the distance between the flanges 17 and 18 and of an appropriate width approximating onehalf the height of the window opening 10 of the casing. The inner edge 26 of each leaf is provided with inwardly directed retaining lugs 27 overlying both the front and rear faces 28 and 29 of the leaf and spaced therefrom and parallel to said faces. Adjacent the outer edge 30 each leaf is provided with similar retaining lugs 31 which are preferably slitted and offset from the leaf body and which are directed inwardly in a plane parallel to but spaced from the plane of the front and rear faces 28 and 29 of the leaf. Each leaf 15 is further formed with laterally protruding portions 32 and 33 at the side margins 34 and 35 adjacent the outer edge 30, and the portion 32 is formed with slitted offset inwardly directed retaining lugs 36 which are disposed in spaced parallel planes to the front and rear faces 28 and 29. The lugs 27, 31 and 36 serve to receive and retain therein cards 37 bearing advertising matter 88 which is introduced between said lugs and the front and rear faces 28 and 29 of the leaf. In order to hold the cards in place and at the same time to afford means for facilitating their removal and changing, a spring latch 39 is provided which is anchored at 4() to the enlarged portion 33 and which is provided with a bifurcated or .forked free extremity 41 adapted to straddle the marginal side edge 35 so that the furcations lie parallel to and are spaced from the opposite faces 28 and 29 of the leaf to engage over and hold the cards in place, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 4. The latch 89, as illustrated in broken lines in said figure, is designed to be sprung laterally when emplacing or removinff the cards. A substantially cross sectionally S shaped offset 42 is formed intermediate the inner and outer edges 26 and 27 of the leaf and extends throughout the length of the same. This offset, in addition to reinforcing and strengthening the leaf, defines a groove 43 in the front face, within which a wire 44 is disposed and held in place by rivet heads 45 which engage thereover. The wire 44 is provided with angularly disposed ends 4G which protrude from and extend along the marginal side edges 34 and 35 to apoint coinciding substantially with the inner edge 26 of the leaf where the free terminals are turned outwardly to provide trunnions 47 and 48. Each leaf is formed with a pair of spacing studs 49 and 50 protruding outwardly from the front and rear faces 28 and 29 thereof adjacent the outer edge 30.

The leaves 15 are detachably associated with the hub by first engaging the trunnions 47 in the bearing apertures 21 and forcing said trunnions through and against the 'member or plate 24 to move the same outwardly until the trunnion 48 registers with the corresponding bearing socket 22 in the flange 18, after which the spring 25 will move the leaf axially of the hub to seat and retain the trunnion 48 in the bearing socket. Removal or detachment of the leaves from the hub is accomplished by reversing the operation, namely, moving the leaves to the left in Figure 6, thereby forcing the member or plate 24 outwardly against the tension of the spring until the trunnion 48 is displaced from the bearing socket 22. Vith the leaves in position, it is obvious that upon turning of the hub 14 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 8, the leaves will successively swing on their trunnions to the right and gravitate to a depending position at a tangent to the hub periphery. In order to provide means with which the outer edges 30 of the leaves coact to momentarily hold the leaf substantially vertical in a plane parallel to the windowed front of the casing, a curved detaining spring 51 is provided over which the outer edge 30 of cach leaf successively rides until it passes the free end 52 of the member 51. During the momentary detention of the leaf by the member 51, the preceding leaf will have the advertising matter supported by and displayed on its rear face 29 exposed simultaneously with the advertising matter carried on the front face 28 of the leaf engaging with the member 51, so that the observer may read said displayed matter. The spacing studs 49 and 50 prevent contact and rubbing of the cards which are carried by adjacent leaves during the operation of the device.

The hub 1-1 may be continuously driven in the clockwise direction illustrated in Figure 3, by any suitable means, but as illustrated in the present instance, a motor M is disclosed which drives through a suitable reducing gear train in a gear boX Gr from which a drive shaft S extends. As illustrated in the preferred form of the invention, the drive shaft S has secured thereto a pinion 53. An arm 54 is rockably mounted on the shaft S and has journaled thereon one or more gears 55, in the present instance two being shown, one of which will be hereinafter termed the drive gear. The shaft 16 of the hub extends through the support 19 and has secured thereto a ratchet wheel 56 with which a ratchet pawl 57 cooperates to limit the turning of the hub to the clockwise direction illustrated by the arrows in Figures 2 and 3. The shaft 16 has also secured thereto a knurled manipulating wheel 58 and a driven gear 59 with which the drive gear is designed to mesh when the arm is rocked to the uppermost position illustrated in full lines in Figure 2. The arm 54 is retained in the upper active position to connect the device with the motor by a binding nut 60, the shank 61, which extends through a guide slot 62 in the arm and is threadedly anchored in the support 19. The ratchet and pawl 56 and 57, in addition to preventing retrograde movement of the hub and leaves from any source, obviously function to support the preponderance of the weight of the leaves which are disposed on one side of the axis of rotation of the device. When the arm 54 is lowered to disconnect the driving motor from the hub, the knurled wheel 58 may be employed to manually turn the hub during the operation of removing the leaves to replace or change the cards 37.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings, the rockable arm 54 is dispensed with and the drive gear 5506 is stationarily supported and in constant mesh with the driven gear 59a, which driven gear is loosely mounted on the shaft 16a and is provided with clutch teeth 59?) which are urged into engagement with clutch teeth 590 on the knurled manipulating wheel 58a. The spring 59d normally moves or urges the clutch teeth into engagement with each other. The knurled manipulating wheel 58a is keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 16a for turning movement therewith. In this instance, as in the preferred form of the invention, the ratchet and pawl 56a and 57a function to revent retro- L- grade turning movement of tie shaft 16a.

When it is desired to turn the hub with the motor out of operation, the knurled manipulating wheel 58a may be readily moved in a clockwise direct-ion while the clutch teeth 59e ratchet over the clutch teeth 59?) of the driven gear 59a.

If desired, the exposed faces of the leaves and advertising matter borne thereby may be suitably illuminated by a neon gas tube T which extends around and frames the window opening 10 and serves to attract attention to the advertising being displayed.

From the foregoing, it will thus be. seen that an advertising device has been devised which is comparatively simple in its construction and economical to maintain. While several preferred forms of the invention have been illustrated, it is, of course, to be understood that variations and modiications thereof which fall within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In an advertising device, including a rotary hub and a plurality of leaves adapted to bear changeable advertising matter; driving mechanism for imparting rotation to said hub including ratchet clutch means permitting of manual turning of the hub when the driving mechanism is inactive by ratcheting of the clutch means.

2. In an advertising device, including a rotary hub and a plurality of leaves adapted to bear changeable advertising matter; driving mechanism for imparting rotation to said hub including means permitting of manual turning of the hub when the driving mechanism is inactive, said means including a manipulatingwheel secured to the hub having ratchet clutch teeth and a driven pinion having corresponding ratchet clutch teeth normally urged into engagement with the clutch teeth of said manipulating wheel to drive the hub through said mechanism and permitting ratcheting of the clutch teeth over each other when theV driving means is inactive.

3. In an advertising device, including a rotary hub and a plurality of leaves bearing interchangeable advertising matter adapted to be successively displayed upon rotation of the hub; hub turning means including a knurled wheel secured to the hub shaft for manually turning the same, adriven pinion loosely mounted on the hub shaft, interengageable ratchet clutch teeth on said knurled wheel and pinion and means for normally causing the pinion clutch teeth to engage the clutch teeth of the knurled wheel for driving the hub through said pinion when the pinion is driven and for permitting ratcheting of the clutch teeth over each other upon manual turning of the hub by tthe knurled wheel when the pinion is at res 4. For use in a movable advertising display device of the character set forth, a leaf fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material and formed with a transverselyvextending intermediate offset bracing the leaf transversely and dening a transverse groove, a Wire disposed and secured in said groove having angularly disposed ends protruding from and extendinvr along the sides of the leaf to the inner elge thereof .and laterally and outwardly projecting extremities at the free terminals of said Wire ends constituting trunnions for swingingly mounting the leaves.

5. For use in a movable advertising display device of the character set forth, a leaf fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material and formed with a transversely eX- tending intermediate substantially S- shaped offset bracing the leaf transversely and defining a transverse groove, a Wire disposed and secured in said groove having angularly disposed ends protruding from and extending along the sides of the leaf to the inner edge thereof and laterally and outwardly projecting extremities at the free terminals of said Wire ends constituting trunnions for swingingly mounting the leaves.

6. For use in a movable advertising display device of the character set forth, a leaf fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material, inwardly directed lugs offset from the opposite faces of the leaf adjacent three marginal edges thereof to receive cards bearing advertising matter and releasable means at the remaining edge for normally embracingly engaging around the remaining edge of the leaf to hold the cards against accidental displacement from the lugs.

7. For use in a movable advertising display device of the character set forth, a leaf fashioned from a rectangular sheet of material, inwardly directed lugs offset from the opposite faces of the leaf adjacent three marginal edges thereof vto receive cards bearing advertising matter and releasable means at the remaining edge for lnormally engaging with and holding the cards against accidental displacement from the lugs,said means consisting of a resilient latch anchored at one end to the leaf and provided at its free end with a bifurcated clip straddling the said remaining edge of the leaf.

EMMANUEL DoBRoWsKY. 

